Black Rose Zero
by KiraDeLindra
Summary: A turn of events gave Yamato great powers and soon he must embark on a journey where he will meet allies and enemies alike.However, how could he be so sure that he's really the hero? The world, is equivalent to a black rose. AU
1. Hanabi

Clap hands, it's a brand new AU action/adventure bda-fic! Hope you enjoy! Criticques are much appreciated. Apologies for any errors, may in writing or characterization.

**Disclaimer**: Eiji Inuki owns Battle Bdaman.I only own some self-made places and the races here. Look up my bio in future for more information. Enough said.

**Black Rose Zero**

**Chapter One: Hanabi (Fireworks)**

_Evilness. Up till today, despite the journey I had taken, I have yet to ponder whether such an element truly existed, lest hated. The term was equivalent to the symbolicism of a black rose. _

_No doubt its dark colour reflected a negative aspect. But why did most of us stop to admire its morbid beauty, even when hurrying down the pathway? Why did we not pay attention to its more colourful counterparts? Why was it qualified for a gift towards lovers, since 'a rare person deserves a rare flower'? Or should I say, rare beauty? _

_Years back, as a frivolous fourteen-year-old, I piped this pointless question up to a close friend of mine. Close enough to actually be a 'parent'. To my dismay, she simply chuckled, patted my head and stated, _

" _Soon, you will understand how grey the world is." _

_Then, my simpleton mind was unable to digest the meaning. I thought, ' Hello, I'm obviously talking about something black here, why add in grey?' Who would have thought that later in the day, I would find out for myself, as my life took its pivotal turn. _

_A pivotal turn which would eventually lead me to a journey few men took, upon black rose petals. _

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sunset was drawing near as final rays streaked across the salmon-coloured sky. Taking in the gorgeous view, Yamato Daiwa sighed contentedly, snuggling within the bed of roses. It was amazing how the royal gardener could snip of their torns without having to replant them. Yamato was sure they would grow back one day, but before that, he seized the chance to use it as his personal resting place.

He hated to admit it, but he was exhausted. Even a healthy, hyper youth like him would eventually be worn out after a city-wide race with an equally healthy and hyper stray cat. Of course during the tiring three hours he received distasteful looks and snickers from the general public, but why would it matter? He tried as much as possible to not live an opinion-based life.

Subconciously purring, he shifted his legs into a more comfortable position. He felt too lazy to lift himself up and hoped he could spend the night out there. Maybe Mie wouldn't even notice. There was nothing to worry about anyway, summer had come and night were equally hot as to day.

Just then, his train of thoughts were interrupted by a familiar mewing sound. Turning his head, he saw his pet cat, Tommy, making its way towards him. Yamato had Tommy for as long as he could remember, thus he learned how to figure out Tommy's emotions through his actions. Currently, judging the way he moved, he was in a wary state. Yamato wondered why.

" Hey Tommy," Yamato greeted him, as if the cat was a human, " What's up with the worrying you've got going on?"

" Meow," Tommy mewed, apparently attempting to warn it owner. Something dangerous was approaching and its shadow loomed over Yamato.

The young man did not realize it. " Not exactly helping here Tommy. One day I must really teach you to speak-ow!"

His sentence was cut short, due to an impressive force yanking his ear and pulling him up. As expected, it was Mie, Yamato's foster mother. She was not fierce nor strict by nature, but very dangerous when provoked. Which was what Yamato had unwisely done.

" Chill, Mie!" Yamato gasped, swatting Mie's hand away, " No need for the child abuse."

" You jolly well call me mom, young man," Mie scolded, " Because without a 'mom', you'll still be out there in the wilderness scratching fleas."

" Cats don't always have fleas, only dogs do," Yamato defended, " Fine, mom. MOM. MOM the goddess. MOM the great. MOM, MOM, M-O-M…"

" Enough!" Mie ordered firmly, " This morning when you talked to me on philosophy, I thought you had finally grown up. Turned out I was wrong, eh?"

" Jeez, no need to get so worked up," Yamato rolled his eyes, not in the mood to be nagged at, " Next, you'll be ranting on the obvious reasons why you shouldn't adopt me, that all signs told you I should be left behind in a pile of dung, yet you kindly took me in, then…er…something about monster trucks?"

" Your brain tells you its monster trucks," Mie sighed, " Since you understand, what are you supposed to do next?"

" Off to work, general!" Yamato said, standing upright. Again, he was jokingly posing as an uptight soldier and even had a matching accent.

Mie observantly spotted the sign of tiredness in him and decided to motivate him up a bit. Sure, he gave his a hundred and ten percent at work, but Mie's standard was a hundred and twenty, no less. " Finish before the royal banquet and I'll give you a tuna sandwich as a reward."

Yamato' ears instantly perked up at the words 'tuna sandwich'. With an 'aye aye mam', he sprinted off to the kitchen to complete his appointed chores.

As Tommy remembered, they had completely ran out of tuna the day before. He looked up at Mie with a questioning gaze.

" Don't worry, I will go tuna-shopping when Yamato's discrated with the other delicacies," Mie confirmed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Unlike many others, the history of Yamato Degaldo was certainly an interesting one. His parents had abandoned him in the queerest place possible—the northern region of the Mystic Median. The whole family tree of cats dominated the area, hence it would be most likely that a helpless child there would be torn into shreds in a matter of seconds. The same cruel fate would befall upon most adults too.

However, Yamato had survived. It was a miracle indeed, to Mie and everyone else. The kind-hearted foster mother had initially found him mingling with a pack of cats. Luckily for Yamato, those felines were of the 'universal' category, meaning they were familiar with the human world and even adapted themselves to the language. The pack were open-minded enough to treat Yamato as one of their kinds, as long as he was willing to follow the cat's way of life.

A cooking prodigy at the brilliant age of seventeen, Mie Degaldo happened to be on her way to Neon City, where an invite to be a royal chef awaits her at the Palace of Lights. When she saw theh boy, her maternal mannerisms were activated and without much thought, adopted him. To her it was less troublesome, since she was an orphan since birth and had no other existing relatives. Besides, she was about to set foot in an unfamiliar town and it would help if someone, anyone, would be there for her.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and subsequently, eight long years passed. Mie became a responsible adult, Yamato into a dependable adolescence. Mie's cooking skills never faltered, improving by leaps and bounds, eventually securing her a lifetime of being a royal chef. Though more often than not slightly unwilling, Yamato helped her in her work, swiftly and effectively.

Mie considered to let Yamato follow her career path, but soon thought otherwise about it. It turned out that Yamato had already chosen what he wanted to do for life, which was to help others who were in need. No, not as super or odd-job man, but as an adventurer—a person who travel around the world running errands of the life-risking type. But before that, he set himself a goal, to discover what life truly was.

At first Mie was reluctant to be supportive of his dreams. Why should she? Would any mother readily agree to letting her son, foster or not, risk himself in all uncertaincy? To convince her, Yamato never neglected training, every aspect of it, to be a strong fighter, strong enough to not let anyone cut through him.

Mie had to accept that one day, Yamato will leave her side and never return. What she could not accept was that that day, was today.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yamato wiped a sweat off his forehead and tilted his head back to admire his handiwork. In a matter of minutes, he had scrubbed all cutlery and silverware cleaned, using the spare time to stack them up in their rightful places. All left was an extremely shiny pot in his hands which he used to study his features thoughtfully, a habit he had picked up lately.

No, Yamato was not vain, he was merely marvelling on his development over the past few years. His hair was orange-red, a good combination. Its ends used to stick outwards in an unruly fashion. After picking up several grooming habits/girly acts from Mie, they were tamer and half of it obediently stuck to his face. His indigo eyes that constantly mirrored his innocence grew more intense. Though not a water fighter, he prepared a pair of green goggles over his head, just in case.

Staring at himself, he wondered whether he had the 'man' image. In his opinion, a man should shine in all his glory through his own powers, not anyone else's. Which was why all his life he fervently refused to use beauty products, soap and shampoo excluded. He also kept his personality clean, always being himself, never pretending to get what he wanted. To become a man, he must not be a fraud, because frauds feed on the ersatz.

" Fifteen seconds and no sandwich!" Mie called.

Yamato hurriedly shoved the pot aside and dashed to the palace's huge banquet hall, arriving in a flash. When you hunt with leopards at the age of five, fifteen seconds were equivalent to fifteen minutes.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The royal banquet was to celebrate the mere existence of the Destiny Council, a congregation of wisemen who had the required qualities to protect the world. Without fail, every enemy they encountered would be brought down to their knees. The council's leader was Henry Watt, no surprise there, since he was the king after all. The other councils' members sat behind a semicircle table surrounding the room, aristocrats seated at wide long tables in the middle.

Yamato took his place beside Mie, along with the other royal chefs. He scanned the room in excitement, pausing to gaze in every council member in sheer admiration, especially King Watt. Secretly, he had an outrageous fantasy of taking his place, as both King and council leader.

The guests were not as interesting. They barely moved a hair, gossiping quietly among themselves, for they had to look formal for every major event they attended. In Yamato's personal dictionary, formality was more or less boring. He stared at the beautiful design on the ceiling absemindedly, wondering how any architect could accomplish such a feat. It consisted of a colourful array of holographic fireworks, exploding beautifully at each second. They never ceased, even during the day.

Finally, King Watt clinked his fork against his glass of wine and stood up, signalling the time for his speech. Yamato immediately adverted his attention towards him, followed by the rest. After clearing his throat, King Watt started,

" Every journey starts with a first step and I must proudly say, the Destiny Council had taken many through these past twenty years. However, we would not have done it without your support. You, the citizens who had believed in us through and through. You, who had countlessly aided us in countless aspects. Though we may differ in spirits, I have faith that we are walking down the same roads, towards many glistening possibilities that await us."

A deafening applause errupted through the hall, Yamato's included. King Watt smiled fondly upon his people, then continued,

" I admit, we were not perfect. There were many obstacles faced, yet we refuse to be hindered by them. I am very proud of you for this and I hope you will think equally of me. Our goal was to let every one here, every soul, to affirm themselves a bright future with peace—"

Suddenly, a ear-piercing sound drowned his words. Before anyone could even react, the holograms on the ceiling was abruptly stopped and the whole ceiling crashed down towards the ground. Many guests involuntarily screamed, some tearing to the exit, others too confused and scared to even move a muscle. A gunshot rang out, pursued by rubble blocking the exists. Everyone panicked even more, desperately attempting to wade their way out.

Yamato was in a no better state. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, his heart beating wildly and in an instant was bathed in cold sweat. 'Calm down Yamato, calm down,' He adviced himself continuously, ' At least find out first what the hell happened.' He stopped his movements in throwing broken tiles aside and weaved his way out of the crowd, heading in the direction of King Watt. He surely knew what to do.

Mie noticed what he was doing in the nick of time and hastily went after her son. " Yamato, don't be foolish! Come back!" She shouted, but to no avail. The crowd had also slowed her down a great deal, causing her to be pratically immobile. She could only pray to the gods, known and unknown, for the best.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A blond teen, looking not much older than Yamato, swooped down gracefully from the ceiling, brown poncho flapping behind him. Barely setting foot on the ground, he whipped out two guns from his belt, wielding each in his hand. His actions were so fast, Yamato thought he was moving at the speed of light. To his horror, the blond shot each council member, murdering them all, right before Yamato's very eyes.

The boy was ruthless, refusing to let anyone survive. Another flip into the air and he aimed at the guests, bringing them down too. Yamato gasped, remembering that Mie was amongst them. The fear blanketing him gradually melted away, revealing a layer of anger. He returned to his task, searching for King Watt. The leader was not far away, clutching his chest in pain.Fresh red blood oozed out from it and dribbling down his mouth, staining his hand before dripping to the ground like rain.

" Mister, hang in there!" Yamato rushed over and helped to support him.

King Watt weakly waved his hand dismissively. " I'm alright, boy. You better save yourself before the monster takes you too."

" Only one left," A cold voice stated behind them, footsteps signalling his steady approach. Turning around, Yamato faced the murderer.

" I should have known it was you," King Watt rasped, " Hurricane Gray. The gunner with the impressive abilities to bring all my planes down. Impressive, at such age."

" That wouldn't matter to a dead man, would it?" Gray said in the same icy tone, venom lacing each word. Fixing his steely green eyes at both Yamato and the King, Yamato felt his fear recovering but shook it away in a second.

" You!" He roared angrily once finding his voice, " You killed so many innocent people, cold-hearted murderer!"

His comments least perturb Gray. " By attending this event of sucking up to these over-controlling geezers, they are the least innocent. The same goes for you, I'll let you die with them once I send this old man to his grave," He narrowed his eyes at King Watt, " Any last words, old man?"

" You're a century too young to completely annihilate me," Mr Watt smirked, " Just you wait, someone will continue my work."

The rest of the events happened in a fast unforgetable moment. The unsheathing of a sword, more bloodspill and Yamato with the King's sword drove through him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_I envisioned it all in my mind, as my previous self exploded into fireworks. _


	2. Battle Aesthetic

Thanks for the review guys! Don't worry, Karat will be appearing in this chapter. Yes, of course, there will be pairings ( I won't forget to include the canon ones) and as for Enjyu…I'll just give you a clue: Fire Puppeteer. Once again, I apologize for any errors in my writing and the story. Comments and criticques are much appreciated.

**Disclaimer:** Eiji Inuki owns Battle Bdaman. I only own some self-invented terms and location, plus some OCs along the way. Go to my LJ for more information.

**Black Rose Zero**

**Chapter Two: Battle Aesthetic**

Too shocked to even have coherent thoughts, Yamato turned his horrified eyes down. Surprisingly, there was no wound and the sword had appeared in his hand out of the blue. Yamato glanced at King Watt with a look of inquiry, only to be flashed a smile and with that, the King lay motionless in his pool of blood, breathing no more.

Yamato finally understood what the king had done to him. He had just performed a high-leveled spell of spirit transfer to Yamato, also transferring some of his power. By doing so, the king could actually keep his soul alive in Yamato's body.

'Don't worry, your manjesty,' Yamato thought,both hands gripping the sword, ' I won't let you down!' " You there, blonde punk! I have set down my resolution…you are so going to hell!"

" He just did that as a desperate measure," Gray pointed out emotionlessly, " Not that you are worthy enough or anything."

" Hmph, you'll regret for underestimating me," Yamato smirked confidently, " No more macho talk! Slash, Cobalt Blade!"

" Howl , Chrome Zephyr," Gray said, as his two guns join together to form a machine gun. This was definitely going to get interesting, for something in the bratt's voice told him that he wasn't lying.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yamato's new sword took a new form too. It became one that was similar to a saber, save for its extremely shiny surface. Taking a step forward, he pointed it at Gray and the light reflected on it became a fatal killing force, extending towards the latter. In response, Gray fired another one of his bullets.

The ray was not strong enough to cut it into half. Surprised, Yamato focused his energy onto it and suceed. However, he could feel his strength being drained too soon. He was about to retaliate again, when he felt movement beside him.

Side-glancing, he was half-impressed, half-intimidated when Gray appeared, his gun already tilted upwards. At the last second, Yamato pushed himself backwards and managed to avoid another bulle by a hairlinet, then twisted sideways and aimed his ray at Gray's face. Unlike him, Gray side-stepped casually and fired the third shot. This time, it unfortunately got Yamato on the right shoulder.

" Argh!" Yamato yelped in pain, clutching his bleeding shoulder. To him bleeding was not an often occurrence and it seemed as if his arm was completely ripped off.

" Boy, I'd suggest you know your place before challenging anyone," Gray commented not in an arrogant manner, but like stating a fact, " If you had been serious about this, you would have already analyzed that I am too fast, too skilled and way over your league."

' Drats!' Yamato cursed, hoping in vain that the injury would heal itself, ' I refuse to believe that he is powerful…damn right I can analyze! I'll show him I can at least cut into him through an opening.'

He studied Gray's fighting pose from head to toe, looking for him. His mind also wandered to Gray's battle techniques, replaying his movements. While he weighed the possible alternatives mentally, Gray kept his poker face on and waited for his opponent to make a move. He preferred to be attack first, for it lessened his guilt for killing.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

There was a vital difference between Yamato's and Gray's strength, which pretty much explained the situation. It was very obvious. Gray's killing days had come, Yamato's had not. The pressure of murder was a deal greater than the pressure of getting stronger just for the sake of beng strong.

Everyone hated to kill as much as they hated to die. Even sadists initially had this trait, until murder became a factor of their daily life, indirectly causing them to take it up themselves in order not to be scared by it. Gray was not classified into this group, but assasination was the basic of his life.

His mornings and late nights would be spent contemplating on future events. Who should I kill tomorrow? Why must I kill these people? What time should the murder take place? Was a stealthy entrance necessary, or a flashy one would make no difference?

His afternoons would always be spent on training. Training for him was the definition of 'challenges', obstacles he had to set for himself to subconciously make his powers grow. Today, maybe the windy mountain. Tomorrow, the wild jungle. The day after tomorrow, inside a river. And so on.

His nights were for planning out strategies.Different from other assasins, murder was not the main challenge for him. The process had no need to be fun, only sufficient to put his status undercover. Gray despised attention. He would either make the assasination be totally unknown or make it terryfying enough so the military fores would refrain from announcing his general presence to the public. Needless to say, sleep was deprived.

Yamato's life was different. He had no need to contemplate much over his actions. Everything was a spontaneous breeze to him. Training was usually done on random streets. Mie always made sure he had a well dose of sleep. The only chopping he had done was on radishes and other culinary ingredients.

Gray's prediction of his background matched the truth. But what the gunner did not know was Yamato's gift for natural instinct, something his calculative brain had dulled.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yamato gave up for the moment after coming up with absolutely nothing. He attempted a method of using his sword's power to observe Gray's movements up close. Swinging the sword with both hands in front of his face, he rushed towards Gray, ready for an attack.

Gray knew what he was doing. It was a cliché, rapidly swinging a sword, making it act like a shield. If it was a normal sword, he could easily find his target through it but the light this sword emanated was a bit too glaring for him. Straining his eyes, he dispatched another bullet.

Yamato easily knocked it back. Next thing Gray knew, Yamato was directly above him, preparing to strike. Gray seized the chance to shoot at an opening. Unexpectedly, the attack was a lot weaker than the previous ones and was fended off too. Before Gray could duck away, Yamato summersaulted over him and slashed him on the arm.

" How did you..?" Gray asked, slightly quavering. Many supposedly heros had passed on before they discovered the secret behind his technique.He could not render the fact that this unexperienced boy had bought enough time to figure it out.

" Anyone would have expect a gun to be a long ranged weapon," Yamato smiled triumphantly, " But your weapon in soul release, though more powerful than its original form, must be used in long range to strike your opponent. Your bullets are faster due to the wind propelling them forward. In addition, you can control your bullets by controlling the wind through your gun. When used in short range, there is less wind to mobilize it, so its no more stronger than a regular bullet."

" Looks like I have underestimated you," Gray admitted, " I also discovered the abilities behind your weapon too. It absorbs particles of light, making use of the heat energy they produce to penetrate the opponent's body. A good thing this is only a secondary effect, its main ability to illuminate doesn't serve much of a purpose."

" Now that's crystal clear, lets get it done and over with," Yamato said. He leapt into the air with Cobalt Blade pointing downwards, planning to land directly on Gray.

Who knew, Gray made a last minute reversion to the gun, turning it back to its initial two forms. He fired and Yamato had no choice but to push himself back, again using the same atack to stop the bullet. It did not fail, but the wind propelling it did not die out soon enough and slammed him against the wall behind him. The impact forced blood out of his body, trailing down the wall as he slid down slowly.

Dizziness overwhelmed Yamato, somehow numbing his best. He staggered up and focused very hard on Gray. " A good thing we each had a blow to share the pain. Your spirit might be damaged you know, switching forms like that out of a sudden."

" It's a battle," Gray stated matter-of-factly, " We are regardless of what happens to us once engaged in it." He fused the two guns together again.

He took the last shot the same time Yamato took his. Light against wind, each anticipated which would triumph.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yamato could not believe it. He had thought Gray was an honest player. He did not see the latter shoving an unnoticed onlooker towards him while unleashing his final blow. Not wanting to hurt anyone innocent, Yamato hurriedly lessened his power on the blade.

" Stop!" He cried, " Stop!"

Fortunately, it died down after exhausting much effort. Yamato pushed the poor victim away as fast as he could. The minute he was back on the ground, the queasiness ascended to a new level. Weakly, he turned to Gray. " You coward…why…?"

The aimless bullet took a u-turn and Gray swiftly caught it in his hand. " After the King's transfer, your powers took a tremendous boost that you can't control," Gray explained, " It was branching out in other directions and judging the condition I am now, I will be infected by the random rays if they happen to hit me. The same does not go for other people, especially this unharmed one. Don't make it sound like I stooped so low as to sacrifice a nobody."

" Whats…the difference…" Yamato panted, " A real man could only shine with his true power!" Just then, he started to violently cough out blood, talking proved to be over-exertion.

" Those are mere minor wounds," Gray sneered, " I will retreat for now to heal my internal ones. See you sometime, if you manage to live, that is." He pushed himself up and used a different technique to escape.

" C-Crap..argh!" Another rivulet of the fresh crimson liquid cascaded onto the ground. Distractedly, Yamato sideglanced at the girl he had rescued. With her intricately tailored pink gown and gold tiara, she did not look like a commoner.

" You're badly wounded," She observed concerningly, " We'd better take care of those, I happen to know a mechanic nearby. I'm Karat, by the way."

Though too weak to say the actualy words, Karat saw the 'save yourself' message in Yamato's eyes. " No, you saved my life and I owe you one," Karat said firmly, " Come on, there's a secret passage leading directly to his place."

With impressive strength for a weak-looking girl, she supported Yamato on an arm and slowly walked towards the blood-stained wall. She tapped a section of it, turning the bricks surrounding into dust. Behind the wall was a flight of stairs, which they went down with caution.

'She's probably a princess,' Yamato guessed, ' It would be totally inappropriate for her to be doing favors for me.' Before he could even muster up the strength to reject Karat, he lost all consciousness without warning.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

" Hey? Are you feeling better?"

Yamato stirred and lifted his heavy eyelids. He was in a different room, lying on what felt like a stone slab. Looking down at him was Karat and an anonymous boy. He looked about fourteen years old, with a black bowl haircut and a green headband around his forehead. He wore a yellow poncho which somehow reminded Yamato of Gray.

' Lousy butthole.'

" Uh..he seems to be fine, Princess Karat," The boy murmured, " I fixed up most of his injuries, so no life threat there."

" That's relieving to hear, Bull," Karat heaved a sigh of relief, " Would you mind checking his conditions for the last time."

" Sure!" Bull exclaimed, " It must be courageous for him to act dangerously, but I would do the same thing, only to rescue a princess like you."

Maybe it was Yamato, but he thought Bull's voice had became huskier in the last sentence. The object was dimly lit with few candles, yet he could identify the pink blush on Karat's cheek. Apparently, teenage lust was in the air.

Bull walked over to Yamato. Again, the injured one spotted another changed feature. That bright spiky red hair could never be mistooken at a first glance. Something was seriously wrong here…

" Don't worry," Bull mock-assured, this time his voice in a higher pitch, " Everything would be fine."

Yamato's muscles tensed as he attached several wires to his arm. There was no reason why he should not doubt that pyscho's words.


	3. First Rate Man,Upgraded Boy

Yoshi! Here's the third chap…won't be updating until the 29th, because tomorrow I have to leave for camp. Argh, the horrors. To those who wonder about how I can update so fast, the secret is simple: stick to as little scenes as possible. As observed from my previous chapters, there's only a minimum of three scenes in one. And I'll not only add the canon pairings but also crack ones, eg YamatoxCarat, AsadouxCarat and EnjyuxMarilyn ( XD on the last one!) Hoping to update as fast as possible, very looking forward to tell you guys about the other weapons and techniques the others have. Sincere apologies for any errors in the story and writing. Oh, and soul force is the power radiating out of one's body.

**Disclaimer:** Inuki Eiji owns Battle B-Daman but does not draw enough romance. Thus the secondary purpose of this fanfic. PS: Excuse me for misspelling Carat's name in the previous chapter.

**Black Rose Zero**

**Chapter Three:First Rate Man/Upgraded Boy**

Thankfully for Yamato, the process went smoothly without anymore injuries sustained. Though he thought for about five times that Bull was about to strangle him, Carat would approach Bull and flashed him one of her dazzling smiles at the perfect timing.

About an hour later, they headed out to get a drink at a nearby café. A wave of relief washed over Yamato as he stepped into the sunlight. Breathing in fresh air had never made him feel so rejuvenated. Sitting down at a table with Carat and Bull, he looked down at his arms and legs. The deep cuts were gone and it was as if he was as good as new. He must admit, Bull had done a really good job.

" Hey, thanks again," Yamato sincerely thanked Bull, " I can tell you're very skilled at this…Bull, right?"

" Uhh…yeah," Bull said. He was in a non-violent mode now and Yamato hoped he would remain this way for as long as possible. " Bull. That's me. Ahaha! So what's your name again?"

" Yamato," Yamato repeated for the third time. For an intelligent person this boy's definitely a forgetful one. " You know, I'm still worried about what happened at the castle…I mean, my mom was there too and King Watt…"

" Just relax, you just had a tough fight against a top assasin," Carat comforted him, " When you were unconscious I did some investigation and all the royal staff had led the survivors to safety through another secret passage. Your mother's a royal chef, right?"

" Damn right she is!" Yamato could pratically see a boulder lifted off his shoulders. He should not have worried in the first place, Mie had always squeezed herself out of tight situations for numerous occassions. " Then that means she should be fine! Phew! But what about your dad? Don't you even feel a little sad?"

" Oh, he's done this with five other young men already," Carat said, " We just need to extract him from your spirit and put him back in his body, that's all."

" What!?" Yamato exclaimed, utterly shocked, " Take him out of me? Isn't the transfer supposed to be permanent?"

" No, as you know my father is a man of high skills," Carat explained patiently, " So obviously he has mastered the highest skill of the transfer. When he stabbed his sword into you, his soul and spirit intermixed with yours, that's why you're about five times more powerful than before."

" Oh, I see," Yamato nodded, " Well, looks like I have to start thinking of how to use his powers wisely and taking him out. But I don't understand, why didn't King Watt and the others fight back if they're so powerful?"

" Father only reserves his strength for the leader," Carat stated, " The rest are merely representatives, having a rank much lower than their leaders. Father knew Gray Michael Vincent doesn't do the real assasination, he only acts a decoy and to make the council panic. About the extraction…I still have to do further research on the possible alternatives."

' Who would have thought Gray still has hesitation on killing,' Yamato thought, thinking back to the battle, ' No wonder these wounds heal fast…they're only minor ones. Wait a minute, that just means the jerk has been taking it easy one me! What the hell!? Hmph, now that I'm more ready, I'll personally track him down and take him at full strength.'

" Say Bull," Yamato started, " Do you know anything about our assasin here?"

" What assasin?" Bull inquired cluelessly, still being his peaceful self.

" Blonde, tall, wearing a brown poncho-argh, never mind give me your pen!" Yamato reached out and snatched Bull's pen, which was tucked behind his right ear. He used it to draw on a napkin and in a moment, was done with a demented portrait of Gray.

" There, this guy!" He raised the napkin at Bull. Carat arched an eyebrow at him. Did he really expect Bull to understand what he was hinting at?

" Ehh…he looks like a napkin?" Bull frowned, supposedly deep in thought.

" No, the guy on the napkin," Yamato corrected exasperatedly, making a mental note to ask Mie to recommend him to some shrinks.

" Err," Bull thought for a minute before his face brightened up, " Oh yeah, I see him everday! Around two to five in the afternoon he would usually train his shooting at that mountain over there."

He pointed at the mountain behind them. Yamato turned around and observed that it was not an ordinary one. This mountain was barren of any lush greenery, having a steep surface and the wind blowing around it carried visible rock particles. Yamato smirked. Of course a strong guy like Gray would train in that sort of deserted-looking place.

" That would be about now. Right, its decided," Yamato declared, " Later we'll climb that mountain and I shall defeat Gray once and for all!"

" Yamato, that would be irresponsible towards yourself," Carat scolded, " Plus we need time to ponder over the extraction."

" Well Carat, these wounds are only minor ones and I am not a baby," Yamato boasted, " Just watch me! I'll teach that guy for underastimating me! We can always think later, a facedown with Gray comes first!"

" My, what a man with dignity," Bull praised, now his manly and sharp self, " In that case, I will accompany you to witness a true duel."

" Not you too," Carat sighed, disheartened that she was the one left out. That and the fact that Bull was going to witness something great without her. Somehow she felt that he ought to do those kind of things with her, because then it would come off as something greater, at least for her. " Hello there, people? Don't we have something important to do here?"

" Bah, when the time comes," Bull reverted into his violent and bloodthirsty ways, " I'll just tear him apart and rip your daddy-o out!"

" That is, if I'm not too strong for you to dissect," Yamato sneered.

Carat groaned exasperatedly. Potential boys, they're all the same. Men in battles, babies in character.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

During the period when Bull was healing Yamato, Carat discreetly informed Yamato of Bull's situation when the mechanic had his back turned on them. He, who secretly felt humiliated about his situation, did not bother explaining the prescence of his alter egos. However, considering that Yamato's life was in his grasp, Carat felt that she had a responsibility to tell him.

In the past, Bull had experienced a traumatizing massacre which caused him to lose his parents. Carat knew little about this, since Bull's second and third form refused to talk about it, whereas his original self was constantly confused about what was going on. After the harsh incidents, Bull had to scrape through life on his own and several contradicting characteristics began to develop within him. Gradually, they took a life of their own inside Bull's body, but all the same, they were Bull and forever would be.

Bull's second form was the suave man every girl would swoon at. Sharp, prudent and competitive-he loved to stand in the limelight and proved others how worthy he was. He welcomed any battle which he could shine in with open arms.

Bull's third form was a sadistic, blood-craving being. Without fights, especially fierce and intense ones, he could not survive. To be strong was his sole purpose. Yamato assumed this side of Bull was an embodiment of his desire for revenge.

Bull's condition prevented him from shining with his own power, but it gave him a high fair edge over his opponents. Three alter egos was equivalent to three minds, in other words, the powers of three people into one. As a saying went, ' When two can't take the heat, bring another to cool them down.' Not to mention he had an admirable trait little possessed, not neccassarily to appreciate everything around him, but to always look on the good and bad side of all situations.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

" Gosh," Yamato panted, barely hanging on to the rocks protruding from the mountain, " Whichever god who built this mountain is definitely not a fan of people."

" I second that," Original Bull seconded, facing the same problem, " Too bad Carat isn't here…imagine what fun we would have if she is!"

" Reality check, she can't climb a mile with that dress on," Yamato reminded him, " Then again, neither could we! And we aren't wearing dresses!" He gritted his teeth, cursing under his breath and trying not to look down. Though they were far from the peak, the buildings on the ground looked so tiny from where they were and if they accidentally slip…a disfigured corpse would be found at the bottom immediately.

" I like obstacles, but this is a far cry from one," Bull's second form snorted, positioned both his feet against the mountain and jumped up, sweeping Yamato under his arm as he dashed towards their destination, " Come on Yamato, time is money, and you are obviously not wealthy!"

" Wait, stop!" Yamato cried, " What if we fall?" Cold terror engulfed him, turning his face pale white as he shut his eyes tightly, bracing for a fall to their deaths. Strangely, it did not come. He assumed Bull, skilled as expected, was moving at such an amazing speed that the force of gravity and friction could not catch up to him.

In a second, they leapt into the air and the next, they were at the top, scanning around for Gray. Bull changed to his original form. " Uhh…Yamato, I don't think Gray's coming. His spirit received some awful damage, you know."

" Gray, where the heck are you?" Yamato called, not seeming to listen to Bull's words, " Come out and face me, chicken!"

" Stop categorizing everyone in animal groups of yours," The same icy voice rang through the air. Gray stepped out from behind a large rock, guns in both hands and ready for combat. " I knew you would come by to finish our battle."

" No way!" Bull gasped, " How did your spirit heal so fast? Yamato did some major damage on you!"

" I have my ways," Gray replied smoothly, " Who's he?"

" A friend of mine," Yamato introduced and unsheathed his sword, " Bring it on, Gray! Bull, don't interfere, this is our fight! Slash, Cobalt Blade!"

" Howl, Chrome Zephyr."

Gray preferred to act one thing at a time, which was why he did not continue earlier, keeping his original goal in mind. This time it was not a battle to defend lives, but a battle for pride. A rare chance to fight in his full strength without regret till the death. Wanting a change of mind, he seized it without fear hesitation.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

" Are you sure you know what you're doing, bratt?" Gray smirked.

" More than ever.And call me Yamato, I happen to like my name, thank you very much," Yamato introduced himself, " So you're not going to resist me or anything while I defeat you?"

" I doubt you are at full strength," Gray commented, " Because in fact, I already did."

Indeed, a bullet rushed into Yamato's left shoulder and began wearing away the layers under his skin. It happened at the same time when his sword stabbed through Gray's right leg. Yamato quickly released an opposing force of energy and Gray did the same.

" How could I forget that this is your domain too," Gray realized, focusing too much on the battle to even heed the pain in his leg. A long time since this feeling had overwhelmed him, making him glad that today had happened.

" The wind here might be strong," Yamato admitted, " But so is the light! A test to our spirits, eh, Gray?"

" Absolutely," Gray agreed, a smile teasing his lips.

" Wow," Bull breathed at the sight before him. Evenly matched, Gray and Yamato's soul force began to envelop them, corroding the ground under their feet. Gray's was sky blue in colour, tamer than Yamato's but no less intense, evaporating into the air at a medium rate. Yamato's red one shot out in all directions, implying his unpredictable techniques. It was not King Watt's extra boost that caused it to be so powerful, but his own distinguishing wild spirit. Gray could identify it too and instructed himself again to not let his guard down at a higher level.

Bull's gaze stayed fixated on them as they clashed against each other, his eyes trailing their movements closely. Yamato increased the heat on Cobalt Blade to fend off as much wind as possible. As the hot air rose, the cool wind began speeding in the opposite direction. Gray stayed in the shadows as much as he could, staying away from the sun's rays and attacked Yamato whenever he got close enough to a shadow.

From the way they carried out their movements, it was like fighting was not sheer violence, but an art. Bull rarely saw evidence of this, due to his work as a mechanic under the earth. At these times he would rid him of his tools. At these times he would feast his eyes on the fascinating happenings around him, just like now and savour the other aspects of life. At these times he would…

' Oh hell, Bull, quit making up excuses. Go on, we know you want to join in…'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yamato and Gray broke apart, standing a fair distance away to each take a brief rest. A drop of sweat mixed with blood rolled into Yamato's eye, but he paid little attention to it. Defeat Gray first, then baby all over himself.

" What do you plan after I'm done, huh?" Yamato inquired, " Kill me or something?"

" Probably," Gray shrugged, " Maybe if I'm in the mood."

" I know you're not really a killing type, so don't try to scare me," Yamato said, " Carat told me about the representatives and the 'innocent people' you 'murdered' only have minor wounds like me. Tell me Gray, what are you fighting for?"

" The same reason you are fighting for," Gray replied, " But I can guarantee that I'll be the last one standing!"

Weapons poised in their palms, they build up their strength for one last blow, when suddenly, Bull shouted, " Slash, Helio Breaker!"

" Huh!?" Both froze in their tracks and stared at the mechanic in bewilderment.

" Bull, what are you doing, stay out of this!" Yamato demanded firmly.

" My, my, gentlemen," Bull's second form chuckled, " You two seemed to be having so much fun, its rather rude not to include me, isn't it? Allow me to introduce my weapon—Helio Breaker." He raised a red chainsaw-shaped sword held by its narrow purple handle, with a purple handed and both sides jagged. " You know, it's a rather exceptional weapon with multi-purposes. Of course, I made it myself. Not only can it extend to a considerable length,"

On cue, the sword extended to the other end of the mountain, slashing a rock into two. Yamato and Gray hurriedly leapt out of the way.

" But it can also cause major bloodspill too! Say hello to Helio Breaker!"

Capturing heat from Bull's strong soul force, Helio Breaker expanded outwards and embedded itself into Yamato and Gray's torso before they could dodge it again. Observing the hurt he had just inflicted upon them, Bull's third form lauhed maniacally to himself.

' Tonight, we shall dance in your blood.'


	4. Basking In Twilight

Sorry for the long delay…here's the fourth chapter. Went back from camp early due to a stomach cramp, bleah. Well, as usual, enjoy! Thousand apologies for any errors in the writing and story itself. Comments and critiques are well appreciated.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Battle Bdaman, it rightfully belongs to Inuki Eiji. This is a fusion of the manga and anime, which explains some of the 'OOC' portrayed. Translation of basic techniques is credited to the anime Bleach.

**Black Rose Zero**

**Chapter Four: Basking In Twilight**

Gray was highly confused on how to react. Yamato was in a no better state either. Carat did not inform him on how to deal with Bull when he was out of control and being born with a kind nature, he refused to hurt anyone badly unless pushed in a corner. With a regular opponent a couple of scratches could wear him down, but Bull was different. It would take a lot more to reverse him to his first form.

Both boys fell onto their knees as Bull withdrew his sword. Changing to his second form, he snickered cockily, " What's wrong, men? Not having fun anymore? Well, all the more reasons for me to entertain…"

He lashed out his lengthened sword once more, a pile of dust swirling into the air as he brought it down to the ground. He continued doing this, occassionally changing to his third form to extend it sideways. Gray and Yamato dodged the onslaught of attacks, attempting to prevent anymore injuries from being inflicted.

Yamato's gaze flitted around Bull, hoping to find his weak spot. Unfortunately for him, Bull's moves were so fast and slick that every rock Yamato landed on was destroyed by him in a single second. Through the dust he could not decipher Gray's position, but he probably had escaped or already thought of some way to escape this dilemma.

' Damn it,' Yamato mentally cursed, gripping Cobalt Blade tighter, ' He's too fast, it takes my all just to dodge, let alone attack! What should I do?'

" Lets confuse him," Gray suggested, suddenly appearing beside him, " On the exterior, he may look powerful, but in truth its only his alter egos. From what happened, its obvious that he has three forms, which adds up to his weapon's three abilities. As you know, it takes one to master one technique, a professional to master thee. Apparently, his three are not stable ones."

" Gray!?" Yamato yelped in surprise, " When and how did you appear!?"

" Doesn't matter," Gray simply dismissed the subject, " Your friend here is pratically unstoppable anymore and at this rate, he may exhaust himself to death after destroying half this mountain. The sole way to stop him now is to change him back to what unimpressive first impression I had on him. Are you willing to help me get out of this predicament?"

" Sure," Yamato agreed, seeing he had no better ideas and somewhat understood the basics of Gray's killing side. " What do you reckon we should do?"

Gray lowered his voice and narrated his strategy to Yamato. The latter sideglanced at Bull, who was still swinging his weapon around like a madman, both his second and third forms too absorbed to actually pay attention to the fight.

" Get what you need to do?" Gray concluded.

" Of course," Yamato nodded, " For this once, I'll be counting on you then."

" Ripped the words right out of my mouth," Gray smirked.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Bull paused for a split second in order to marvel at the destruction he created around him. It was a long time since he felt this free, a long time since he felt this rush of pleasure, all thanks to Carat. Sure, his first and second form thought she was a nice girl and indeed, she was, but did she really have to hinder their fighting spirit? It was true that she was the princess, but aside from that, she did not hold any control over them.

Just then, Gray landed directly in front of him, his demeanor still as cool as a cucumber. Bull stared at him in disbelief for a second, that he could survive all the previous attacks, but the expression quickly changed to a smug one.

" So you're tougher than I thought," Bull sneered, reverting to his second form, " In that case, I shoud not bore you by showing you no mercy!"

The lengthened sword aimed for Gray once more, nearly hitting him as he jumped up. This time, Bull followed in suit, planning to swing the long heavy sword off the ground and slash him into two with it. However, the boy before him was not Gray, but Yamato. Catching him unprepared, Yamato managed to weaken his grasp, cutting his wrists lightly as he hurled himself to the opposite end of the mountain.

Wincing at the bitter irritation coursing through his arms, Bull fell back on the ground, standing in the middle of Gray and Yamato. Refusing to be defeated, he turned to his third form in a moment of anger and roared, " If you think you're done, then you're wrong! I am strong and strong people don't lose!"

As preplanned, Helio Breaker extended sideways towards the two. It was time for Yamato and Gray to release their attacks at the same time. Gray used a different technique which made the bullets blow up the air around Bull instead of hitting him directly. Yamato swung his sword in the air a few times to add the power it could inflict and brought it down to the ground as hard as he could. " Cobalt power blast!"

A strong ray rushed headlong into Bull, along with Gray's bullets. It was Bull's alter egos' turn to be at a lost on what to do with their sword, either attack or defend. Due to his slow reaction, both attacks successfully struck him, knocking him back to his original form. The bad side effect was that the impact caused Bull to fly to the end of the peak, allowing gravity to pull him downwards to his death.

' Oh dear, what's going on here…? I remember being the other Bulls, then…hey, I think I'm flying!'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Instinctively, Yamato rushed over to grab Bull's hand without fear hesitation, temporarily delaying his plummet to hell. Gray smiled a little at the sight. How typical of the naïve character to rescue anyone who was basically innocent, not heeding the consequences and risks it cost.

" Hold on tight!" Yamato gasped, pulling with all his might in a futile attempt.

" Don't let go!" Bull grimaced, looking down at the miniature town below his feet. He did not even want to think about his journey towards there from here.

" Wasn't planning to," Yamato assured him. His decision to save Bull was free of doubt, but it seemed that he had not enough energy to do so, due to his earlier battles. Closing his eyes, he tugged again with all his might, already feeling his muscles weakening under his skin. Gradually his grip began to loosen and he fell into perpetual panic. Worse come to worst, he would be pulled down with Bull.

After watching this short scene of predicament number two, Gray finally decided to help. There was no harm in doing so, not to mention that he hated witnessing pointless deaths. Placing his hand on Yamato's, he fueled the grip. Yamato appeared the least perturbed and working together, both of them managed to haul Bull back onto the mountain top.

" We did it!" Yamato exclaimed in both relief and joy, " All thanks to you, Gray!"

" Don't mention it," Gray panted, " I'm not really in the sappy moment right now. Oh yeah, your friend okay there?"

" Fine, don't worry about me!" Bull chirped as he sat up. Yamato and Gray nearly fell over upon Bull's disregard about his alter egos. " Oops, so now you know about the other Bulls…by the way, shouldn't we get down from here first? Its getting late."

" Right," Yamato observed the darkening sky, " So how long will it take for us to climb down, Gray?"

" Well," Gray thought for a second, " I'm not sure, but its different from getting up here."

" Great!" Yamato's litted up at the prospect of an easy trip back home, where he would invite the two to tend their wounds for a while.

" It's a lot harder," Gray finished his sentence, bursting Yamato's bubble.

" Oh man," Yamato groaned. So much for the dawn after darkness.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Finally, after much agony, they managed to reach the bottom as the last rays of sunlight disappeared. The trip seemed like eternity and more than three times did either one of them nearly fell off again ( mostly it was Bull, somehow sleeping with his eyes open. Yamato did not know whether to classify it as a gift or a liability.) Unexpectedly, Mie and Carat were already waiting for their arrival.

" Mom!" Yamato greeted jubilantly, " I knew you were alright! Don't mind these two, Bull's the one who saved me and Gray's not really the scary assasin everyone thought."

" I know," Mie nodded, tears of relief welling up in her eyes, " Miss Watts has told me all about what happened. Son, thank god you're safe too!"

" Takes more than that to hurt me," Yamato bragged.

" Now that all the fighting is done," Mie clasped her hands together, " I say we all go to our house to rest and heal our wounds."

" Thanks, but no thanks," Gray rejected, putting his cold attitude back on, " I have no more free time to mingle with you people."

" Aw Gray, don't be such a spoilsport," Yamato mock-pouted, " Its rather fun to relax and chat with all the savoury people you've met, you know."

" I won't really mind," Mie added, " The more the merrier. Miss Watts, will you be joining us?"

" Yes, gladly," Carat nodded, " I've also got something to discuss with Yamato—a good option I've discovered for the extraction."

Yamato's eyes widened upon remembering his main responsibility. From now onwards, he set down a resolution for himself, which was to not stray away from protecting King Watt's spirit anymore. With that, they left, including Gray after some persuasion ( read: whining) from Yamato.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yamato and Mie's house was a large vehicle shaped like a cat. It used to be Mie's makeshift restaurant when she was younger, providing her culinary services to the public while driving around to see the world. Everyone took their seats at a round table, waiting for Carat to start. She cleared her throat and placed the day's newspaper on the table, the page boasting the featured section.

" The annual Winners tournament, approaching greatness," She read out the headlines, " You all know about this, right?"

" Duh," Yamato rolled his eyes, " Only a person living under a rock doesn't. The Winners tournament, held yearly to allow all willing participants to prepare themselves. It's the biggest event of the year and the winner holds eternal glory, along with the prize of getting one wish granted."

" Thus, the wish can be used to free King Watts," Mie concluded, " I see what you're getting at, Miss Watts but exceptional as I admit my son is, I doubt he has enough skill and experience to win. You said King Watts has done the transfer to other young men, why don't we just use the extraction method done on them?"

" We can't," Carat shook her head, " The alchemists required is currently not in town. Lately, because of some secret organization, the crime rate has heightened rapidly so they're sent out on field work, hence this is the only option available. Are you willing, Yamato?"

" Yeah, for the people and the king!" Yamato raised his voice enthusiastically, punching his vist in the air and standing up abruptly to step on the table with one leg, " I'll undergo any training to make myself the strongest!"

" The first training you have to undergo is to not dirty the table with your feet!" Mie reprimanded and shoved him back into his chair, " But then again, I can't recommend any good teachers…"

" Ooh, I can," Bull piped up, " My master in Saitoon is a legend in both mechanism and the fighting art. He's more than happy to accept any dedicated student at anytime."

" Then its settled," Yamato said excitedly, " Tomorrow, I shall set out on my journey…is that okay, mom?"

" Definitely," Mie tried to sound supportive, barely suppressing her worried frown, " Though I'll normally prevent you from going on these dangerous adventures, it can't be helped since this is a royal order."

" Great!" Yamato grinned from ear to ear, then turned to Gray, who had not said anything so far, " Gray, what do you think?"

" In my opinion," Gray commented, " You are not ready for this."

" What!? Why!?" Yamato demanded to know why the assasin did not place any confident in him. Did he not taste his fighting spirit only a while ago?"

" Yamato, first and foremost," Gray asked, " Do you know the basics of fighting?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

As the wise men pointed out, it took ninety-nine percent skills and one percent intuition to be victorious on a battle. Gray admit that Yamato was strong in the intuition department but his skills, compared to the older and experienced, were way off. His fighting spirit, though strong, was not foundation built.

" Yeah I do," Yamato arched an eyebrow, " So what's your point?"

" I don't think you do," Gray said, " Its very obvious that your techniques don't mirror any of them."

" Ah? Quit talking in purple prose," Yamato scratched his head in confusion, " Aren't those single techniques?"

" Exactly what I'm talking about," Gray pinpointed, " You don't understand at all. As we all know, there are four categories to classify every technique under-Zanjutsu ( cutting), Hakuda ( bare hands), Hohou ( movement) and Kidou ( demon arts). Each of the basic attacks are based on each one of these. Then, they can be furthermore classifed for the more advanced techniques. Zanjutsu and Hakuda are what most swordmen like you use. Hohou and Kidou, otherwise known as Ninjutsu ( secret arts) or magic, is probably the highest class of attacks and are more flexible to fuse than the other two."

" Yeah…" Yamato waited for Gray to continue.

" A messed up combination of either two is the problem most fighters have," Gray supplied, " For example, even though Bull was using a sword, he was fusing Hohou and Hakuda. I have to agree with your mother that you're an exceptional fighter. Exceptional as in not applying any of these four basic techniques."

" That can't be right," Yamato scowled, " Remember that I had a draw with you."

" Pure intuition," Gray stated, " After our two fights, I can easily see through your technique and so can others. You let the latter attack first and harm you, then you find their weak spot through personally experiencing their style. Sure, it's a decent tactic…but too risky if your opponent is on a much higher level than you."

" Well…I haven't really thought of it that way," Yamato slowly digested what Gray said.

" What you need to learn right now," Gray adviced, " Is first to strengthen your foundation. Predict what category and combination the opponent is using through their weapons. Never act rashly and use training experiences for a strategy base. Eventually, you will become stronger."

" Hoo boy, is that accomplicated or is that accomplicated," Yamato sighed for the umpteenth time that day. Along with the series of events, he had to accept the fact that he had yet a long way to go. And to think that before, he thought he was above average.

" If you can't grasp this concept, you can't jump over the next hurdle," Gray continued to give Yamato a reality check, " And I'm not talking about the training you have to endure. The aforementioned secret organization? It also has plans to win the tournament's grand prize, to get their goal accomplished once and for all. It treats it so seriously that its willing to attempt any alternative to get what they own, dirty tricks not excluded. Not long ago, it dispatched two of their most powerful subordinates to decrease the number of contestants by a great margin to increase their chance at success. As you start on your journey you will sooner or later have to face them. It will be unwise to treat them lightly, for they are famous for their technique fusing abilities. Remember my warning and these people. You will recognize them as chinese brothers—Li and Wen Yong Fa."


End file.
